Photo By Chief Petty Officer Stephane Belcher | Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Johnathan Fearon - Date Unknown... read more read more
Born and raised in a Jamaican rural area, Construction Mechanic 3rd Class Johnathan Fearon served 12 years in the Jamaican Defense Force before moving to New York and enlisting in the U.S. Navy.
Fearon, with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5, joined the Navy at age 38, participated in the Ceremonial Guard, and now he's a Seabee.
He is one of 15 children. His grandmother raised him and several siblings because his father was ill. His mother moved to the U.S. to help him have a better life, which worked out for him, his wife, and their three kids.
As Fearon talked about his life, he reminisced about his childhood and his grandmother's impact on him.
"She grew me well; I can say, disciplined. I learned to do chores around the house, you know, take care of myself," said Fearon. "So you might hear me speak a certain way. She was the one that said, 'Hey, you need to speak like this. You can't speak like that around the house.' So I would gravitate towards that."
When he wasn't going to school or doing chores, he set up make-shift basketball goals on light poles and played football or cricket.
"We had fun back in the day doing that," Fearon recalled with a smile. "We'd have other people come down from other places to play, so it was really fun."
Despite helping his family around the house and going to school when he could, he still graduated high school. After high school, he left the countryside and moved to Kingston to live with his sister. He spent a few years looking for a job, but nothing happened until he spoke to the Jamaican Defense Force recruiter.
Fearon explained that most people in Jamaica try a trade—like a nurse, police officer, fireman, or the Jamaican Defense Force because they don't require higher education. They pass a test, and then they go through the training.
"I didn't have that educational background," added Fearon. "So I said, 'okay, you know what, I'm going to not gravitate towards sitting on the streets and stuff.' So based on my drive, I joined the Jamaican Defense Force, and it turned out good for me."
Once he passed the test, he trained for six months in Newcastle at the University of Jamaican Defense Force. He explained how much harder he felt the training was compared to what he's going through in the U.S. Navy.
"It's much more than the Navy. It's a lot harder," he explained. "We train for infantry-type battles. Because we take our training from the British, we do British type training, similar, almost similar to this, but if it were like Marines."
Fearon said the training is similar to Marines, who all go to a battalion when they're done. He started working on internal security and assisting the Jamaican Constabulary Force in maintaining law and order. They patrolled with special operations.
After nine years as infantry in the Jamaican Defense Force, he decided to try their special forces.
"I liked how they looked at the time. Everybody wanted to be like them," he said. "It's a tough program. It's harder than the British. Except for the water part, it's harder than the Navy Seals. It's harder than the green beret and Canadian special force."
They had to navigate the terrain with only water to survive during training evolutions. Foraging for food brought them closer together, like family. Fearon mused over his time with special forces and talked about how he missed the camaraderie.
"Working with the special forces there, it was like any special forces, real tight-knit community," he added. "People call you by your first name and all that. People know who you are and address you as such. Like, I miss that."
In the special forces, he went to Guatemala for a special forces competition, which brings in special forces throughout the western hemisphere.
"We actually won the assault competition. I went one year, and we won that," Fearon said with a smirk. "So I was really proud of myself because it's the only year I went, and we won because I'm good at shooting. So that was like a high point for me, so I got out."
After getting out of the Jamaican Defense Force, he moved to the U.S.
His mother came to New York in the early 2000s, and throughout her time working odd jobs, she got the paperwork for him and his siblings to come to the U.S.
In 2019, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Navy.
In boot camp, Fearon took advantage of another opportunity. He joined the Ceremonial Guard in Washington D.C. and served for two years. He was part of the firing party, provided funeral honors for the fallen, participated in ceremonies for dignitaries and retirements, and received every qualification he could.
He reported to NMCB-5 as a construction mechanic in March of 2022. He was advanced to Petty Officer 3rd Class for his time in the Ceremonial Guard. He attends college in his free time but takes every opportunity to learn his new craft.
"I'm trying to really adjust. As I said, I was in the special forces; one of the things they teach you over there is adapting to whatever environment you're in," Fearon said.
"I know I'm a bit old. I'm 40 years old, and I work mostly amongst younger Sailors. But I still, you know, I try to learn from them because this trade is purely new to me. I just try to get involved and learn my new job."
Fearon just completed his first exercise with the battalion. Although he's used to doing things a different way, he adapts.
"It's really easy compared to what I used to do back home," he explained. "It just takes time. It still sucks, but it's not as bad as what I've been through. Some things I've seen done differently, but I still have to put away everything I've learned because this is different. So I say, 'Okay, I'll try to learn this,' instead of maybe I would have done it differently."
He doesn't know if he'll stay in the Navy after his first enlistment. Still, he enjoys the experience and taking in all the knowledge his shipmates offer. As for his family, his wife and kids have adjusted. Now they love living here.
| Date Taken: | 07.06.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 07.06.2022 15:29 |
| Story ID: | 424452 |
| Location: | PORT HUENEME, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,090 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Unbounded Determination. From Jamaican Special Forces to U.S. Ceremonial Guard to Navy Seabee, by CPO Stephane Belcher, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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